20th May 2021
This month, we’re celebrating the amazing efforts of Ben – a brilliant young man who recently crossed the finish line of his incredible 100 mile challenge. Not only did he finish the challenge 25 days ahead of schedule, he has also raised over 150% of his original fundraising target!
Ben used to attend Challengers when he was younger, and with the help of family and friends, he has been walking and triking every day to reach his target of 100 miles and raise money for Challengers. Ben and his family have been keeping everyone up to date with daily posts on his Just Giving page and sharing pictures of the beautiful places he’s stopped en route, including Priory Park, Reigate Heath and Tanyard Meadows, which have provided a lovely backdrop for his challenge.
Here’s what Ben’s Dad Nathan had to say about why he decided to take on this epic fundraising adventure for Challengers:
“Ben has had severe epilepsy since he was four years old. He was recently diagnosed with a genetic disorder that explains his symptoms, but unfortunately it doesn’t shed much light on a therapeutic approach! He can have absence seizures for as much as 60% of his waking time, so mobility is a challenge for him and he requires two carers at all times to keep him safe.
Ben is now 26, so he hasn’t used Challengers for some time, but Challengers provided absolutely vital support for Ben and the family when there wasn’t much else available. It’s clear that keeping as physically active as possible is enormously beneficial for disabled people, and Challengers’ philosophy is so helpful in achieving that.
Ben has had a daily target of 4000 steps or equivalent exercise, so we thought we would try to raise some money for Challengers while we are doing this – especially as we know things have been particularly difficult for the charity over the last year.
Ben generally has a pretty mixed time with his seizures, which is reflected in the effort he had to make during the challenge. I would say that he has not been particularly good over most of the eight weeks, so managing a couple of miles a day has required significant focus from him and a great deal of support from his amazing team of helpers.
Taking part in the challenge has been a really positive experience for all of us. Although we try to get out for exercise with Ben every day anyway, this has definitely been an extra incentive. It’s also had a really nice ‘side effect’ in that a number of people have been following the daily updates, and enjoying seeing a bit more of what Ben gets up to.”
We couldn’t be more thankful for people like Ben who support us with amazing challenges and fundraisers – that’s what #TeamOrange is all about! We have loved keeping up with Ben’s epic journey and supporting him to raise a fantastic amount to support disabled children at Challengers. Head over to Ben’s Just Giving page to support his fantastic challenge and what he has achieved!
If you would like to support Challengers by taking on a challenge or fundraiser of your own, please get in touch with us at: fundraising@disability-challengers.org